Bharti Airtel and Tata Group End DTH Business Talks

Bharti Airtel and the Tata Group have announced the termination of discussions to merge their direct-to-home (DTH) television businesses — Airtel Digital TV and Tata Play — after failing to reach a mutually agreeable resolution.

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In a regulatory filing late Saturday, Airtel said, “After not being able to find a satisfactory resolution, the parties have mutually decided to terminate the discussions.”

Also Read: Tata Play, Airtel Digital TV Set to Merge Amid DTH Industry Decline: Report

Airtel and Tata Group End Merger Discussions

“This is in reference to our intimation dated February 26, 2025, wherein the Company informed that it is in bilateral discussions with TATA Group to explore a potential combination of TATA Group’s Direct To Home (DTH) business housed under Tata Play Limited with Bharti Telemedia Limited, a subsidiary of the Company,” Airtel said on May 3, 2025.

The two companies had been in talks to merge their DTH operations. According to previous reports, the proposed merger was expected to give Airtel a majority stake of around 52–55 percent in the combined entity, while the remaining 45–48 percent would be held by Tata Play’s shareholders, including Walt Disney Co.

Also Read: Airtel Digital TV Launches New Entertainment Plan With Amazon Prime Benefits

Valuation and Strategic Implications

Both businesses were reportedly valued in the range of Rs 6,000–7,000 crore each. The merger, had it gone through, would have marked the second major consolidation in India’s DTH space after the Dish TV-Videocon d2H merger in 2016.